Finals 1 Vocab AP Human Geography

absolute location

a place’s exact location using addresses and coordinates

relative location

describing where something is by using things near it

accessibility

being able to reach different places using transportation

aerial photography

professional images captured by planes within the atmosphere

built environment

the things humans built that change the landscape from the natural environment

cartography

the science or practice of drawing maps

cartographic scale

refers to the way the map communicates the ratio of its size to the size of what it represents

concentration

the extent of a feature’s spread over space

connectivity

the amount of connection between two places that allow the movement of ideas, goods, or people

cultural ecology

the study of humans adapting to the environment

cutural landscape

building roads, fences, or things based of the landscape of the environment

density

the frequency with which something occurs

diffusion

how ideas spread to form changes in cultures and landscapes

distance

an amount of space between things

distance decay

the weakening of a signal or relationship as it gets further from another

distortion

inaccuracy in displacing earth on a 2 dimensional scale

distribution

the arrangement of a feature in space

elevation

how high or low something is

environmental determinism

the belief that land forms and climate are the most powerful forces shaping human behavior and societal development while ignoring the influence of culture

equator

an imaginary line that circles the globe exactly halfway between both poles

field observation

physically visiting a location, place, or region and recording info there

fieldwork

observing and recording info on location, or in the field

formal/uniform region

regions that are recognized globally

friction of distance

when things are farther apart, they tend to be less connected

functional/nodal region

a region designed around a focal point; used for routes and airports

geographic scale

the area of the world being studied

GIS

a computer system that stores, analyzes and displays info from many dgital maps/geospatial data sets

GPS

a system that is used to pinpoint a recievers exact location

human geography

the study of the spatial characteristics of various elements of the physical environment

human-environment interaction

the connection and exchange between humans and the natural world

International Date Line

a boundary from which each calendar day starts

landscape analysis

studying how people alterate things based on their natural environment

latitude/parallel

the distance north or south of the equator

location

where something is

longitude/meridian

the distance east or west of the prime meridian

map

the most important tool of a geographer that helps organize complex information

mental map

a visual interpretation of the world in an individual’s mind

patterns

the general arrangement of things being studied

physical geography

the study of spatial characteristicd of various elements of the physical environment

place

the specific human and physical characteristics of a location

possibilism

a view that acknowledges limits on the effects of the natural environment and focus more on the role that human culture plays

prime meridian

an imaginary line that runs from pole to pole through Greenwich, England

processes

a series of steps or actions that explain why or how geographic patterns occur

projection

transferring the 3 dimensionL surface of the earth in a 2 dimensional map

proximity

how near something is to something

qualitative date

the use of words to find information

quantitative data

any information that can be measured and recorded using numbers

reference maps

a map that is designed to help people reference basic information about a place

region

they have boundaries, unifying characteristics, cover space, and are created by people

regionalization

dividing then putting regions together because of a commonality

remote sensing

gathers information from satellites that orbit the earth or other craft from above

scale

The ratio between the size of things in the real world and the size of those same things on a map

scale of the data

spatial levels of analysis

sense of place

the emotional attachment of a person to a place

site

the characteristics at the immediate location

situation

location of a place relative to its surroundings and its connectivity to other places

spatial approach

the arrangement of the phenomena being studied across the surface of the Earth

spatial association

two or more phenomena may be related or associated with one another

spatial interaction

the contact, movemnet, and flow of things between locations

spatial data

all of the information that can be tied to specific locations

subregions

shares some characteristics with the rest of the larger region but is distinctive in some ways

sustainability

an overarching theme of human geography and relates to trying to use resources now in ways that allow their use in the future while minimizing negative impacts on the environment

thematic maps

a map that shows spatial aspects of information or of a phenomenon

time-space compression

the shrinking “time-distance”, or relative distance, between locations because of improved method of transportation and communication

topographic maps

a map that shows different elevations with lines

toponyms

place names

vernacular region

defined by the informal sense of place that specific people use to reference an area they know

asylum seeker

a refugee applying for asylum, which is protection granted by one country to an immigrant who will face danger if they return

brain drain

skilled or smart people immigrating out of a country

brain gain

skilled or smart people moving in a country

chain migration (migration ladder)

people move to the same location as earlier family members or those of the same nationality

circulation

short-terk, repetitive, or cylical movements that occur on a regular basis

counter migration

each migration one way has an opposite migration (balancing things out)

counterurbanization

people moving from urban areas to the suburbs, or even rural areas

diaspora

the dispersion or spread of proplr from their original homeland

distance decay

the idea that the further apart two places are, the less likely people will migrate, communicate, or interact

emigration

people who moved out of the country

ethnic enclaves

neighboorhoods primarily filled with people of the same ethnic group

expatriate

a person who lives outside their native country

forced migration

migration because of another’s choices

gender patterns

how genders are differenciated because of culture, economic opportunities, and historical practices

gravity model

the size and distance between two cities or countries will influence the amount of interactions

guest worker

a worker that temporarily enters a country to work at an industry with a specified time period

immigration policies

policies that can encourage/discourage immigrants from entering in a country

internal migration

permanent movement within the same country

internally displaced person (IDP)

a forced migration within the same country

international migration

permanent movement from one country to another

interregional migration

between regions

intraregional migration

within a region; more commo

intervening obstacle/opportunity

barriers that make reaching a desired destination more difficult/barriers that cause people to stop for something better

Lee’s model of migration

a model that shows how people are influenced by push and pull factors

migration

the permanent or semi-permanent relocation of people from one place to another

migration selectivity

the concept that certain demographic characteristics, such as age, education, and socioeconomic status, make some individuals more likely to migrate than others

migration stream

the total movement of people from a specific are of origin to a specific area of destination over a defined time period8

mobility